ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Education
Several measures taken by the Government to strengthen Internationalisation of Higher Education
To promote internationalisation of Indian education, National Education Policy , 2020 stipulates various measures, which inter alia include facilitating research / teaching collaborations and faculty /student exchange with high-quality foreign Higher Education Institutions ; signing of relevant mutually beneficial Memorandum of Understanding  with foreign countries; encouraging high performing Indian universities to set up campuses in other countries; facilitating selected universities e.g. those from among the top 100 universities in the world to operate in India; setting up of International Student Office at each Higher Education Institution  for welcoming and supporting students arriving from abroad; and promoting courses and programmes in subjects, such as Indology, Indian Languages, AYUSH systems of medicines, yoga, arts etc.
In line with the recommendations of NEP, 2020, several measures have been initiated to strengthen Internationalization of the Higher Education, such as:
- The University Grants Commission  has issued Regulations on Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Higher Educational Institutions to offer Twinning, Joint Degree and Dual Degree Programmes on 02.05.2022.
- University Grants Commission  has issued Guidelines for Internationalisation of Higher Education on 29.07.2022. The guidelines call for establishment of the Office for International Affairs in Higher Education Institutions  as a single point of contact for facilitating foreign students and promoting internationalisation.
- World-class foreign universities and institutions will be allowed in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City  to offer courses in Financial Management, FinTech, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics free from domestic regulations, except those by International Financial Services Centres Authority  to facilitate availability of high-end human resources for financial services and technology.
- These initiatives will provide global exposure to students for multidisciplinary education with an internationally relevant curriculum and quality education. It will attract foreign students and improve the standing of Indian universities as internationalisation is an important parameter in rankings.
In order to reduce the gap between modern and traditional education, the Indian Knowledge Systems  Division of Ministry of Education has been undertaking several initiatives including IKS internships for the undergraduate students.
The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
169.63 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India's Active caseload currently stands at 11,08,938
Active cases stand at 2.62%
Recovery Rate currently at 96.19%
1,99,054 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
4,06,60,202
83,876 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
74.15 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 11,56,363 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
PMEGP helps more than 30, 000 women entrepreneurs
Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme, , aimed at generating employment in rural and urban areas of the country, has helped women entrepreneurs set up 30,437 projects during 2016-17 and 2017-18 with financial assistance of over Rs. 85,305 lakh. This was stated by the Minister of State  for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh in a written reply in theLok Sabha today. Women entrepreneurs from the micro, small and medium sectors from Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Odisha and Gujarat have been beneficiaries of the PMEGP. Under the scheme, the women entrepreneurs are provided 25% and 35% subsidies for the project set up in urban and rural areas respectively. For women beneficiaries, their contribution is 5% of the project cost while for general category it is 10%.The maximum cost of the project under PMEGP scheme is Rs.25.00 lakh for manufacturing sector units and Rs.10.00 lakh for units under service sector.
The Minister said the Ministry ofMSMEhas launched a portal “UdyamSakhi” for encouraging women entrepreneurs and to aid, counsel, assist and protect their interests. He said Coir Board is implementing skill upgradation andMahila Coir Yojana, under whichprogrammes like entrepreneurship development programme, awareness programme, workshop, seminar and exposure tours are conducted for attracting more women entrepreneurs to set upcoir industrial units. Under ‘Mahila Coir Yojana’ scheme, which is exclusively for rural women artisans, training in spinning of coir yarn and various coir processing activities is imparted to rural women in regions producing coir fibre in the country.
Khadi and Village Industries Commission is also imparting training for skill development through 38 departmental and non-departmental training centresunder various disciplines. During 2017-18, a total of 35955 women candidates were trained. The Minister further informed that the entrepreneurs, including women entrepreneurs, can sell their products through 8058 sales outlets run by Khadi Institutions including 7 departmental outlets of KVIC located at Mumbai, Kolkata, Ernakulum, Bhopal, Goa, Patna and Delhi.
Giriraj Singh said that under domestic fairs and exhibition component of Marketing Assistance and Technology Upgradation  scheme, 100% of the space rent is paid for SC/ST/Women/ NER/PH category MSE units limited to Rs.20,000. In the case of technology trade fairs and exhibitions the limit is Rs.50,000. Under international trade fairs and exhibitionscomponent of MATU scheme, 100% of the space rent is paid for SC/ST/Women/NER MSE units subject to maximum Rs.1.00 lakh.MM/KA
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Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Nitin Gadkari Lays Foundation Stone for Six-Lane Access-Controlled Highway to Link Akshardham with EPE Junction on Baghpat Road
Project to Decongest Delhi NCR
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari has said that works worth Rs 50,000 crore have been sanctioned for road projects around Delhi. He said, these will immensely improve the air pollution in the Capital city generated due to traffic congestion. He said, controlling air pollution is not a difficult task with all agencies now agreeing to join hands.
Addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone for development of a six-lane, access controlled corridor from Akshardham in East Delhi to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway junction on Baghpat Road today, the Minister referred to construction of Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressway around Delhi, which have brought over 27 per cent reduction in commercial traffic. Shri Gadkari announced that the 90 km Delhi-Meerut Express Highway will be operational by April this year. He informed that work on Dwarka Expressway is being taken up at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore. Work on Saharanpur Express Road has started. He also referred to several other road projects in areas around Delhi, which on completion, will smoothen the traffic scenario in NCR region.
The 31.3 km road stretch, for which foundation stone was laid today, is part of NH-709B that will run from Akshardham to Saharanpur Bypass. The alignment of the road will be from Akshardham - Geeta Colony - Shastri Park - Khazuri Khas - Delhi/UP border – Mandola - EPE Intersection. It will be developed in two packages – first a 14.75 km stretch from Akshardham to Delhi/UP border and the other 16.57 km stretch from Delhi/UP border to EPE Intersection. There will be a 19 km elevated section. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 2820 crore. The project includes construction of 3+3 lane service roads on either side of the highway, eight new underpasses, seven ramps connecting major roads, 15 major junctions, 34 minor junctions, and over-bridges at Delhi-Shahdara, New Delhi-Anand Vihar railway lines and Dilshad Garden-ISBT Metro Line. The high-speed signal-free corridor is expected to contribute to decongestion and considerable reduction in pollution levels in Delhi NCR.
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Ministry of Labour & Employment National Career Service  e-Book Launch
The Ministry of Labour and Employment is celebrating Iconic Week from 7th to 13th March 2022, as a part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. On this occasion, Dr Shashank Goel, Additional Secretary/Director General of Employment, Ministry of Labour and Employment launched an e-Book touching upon the journey of NCS so far, on 07.03.2022 at Shram Shakti Bhawan, New Delhi. During the launch, he said that the scope of the NCS Portal is continuously expanding to provide more and more services to the youth since the launch of the Project by Hon’ble Prime Minister on the 20th July, 2015.
The e-Book of National Career Services is an effort to condense the various stakeholder activities involved in the project and provides a snapshot of the Journey of NCS, key achievements and glimpses of success stories since the inception of the NCS portal.
Under the NCS Project, so far more than 94 lakh vacancies have been mobilised on the NCS Portal. Besides, more than 2 lakh Jobseekers have got jobs through job fairs organised under the NCS Project.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment is implementing the National Career Service  Project as a Mission Mode Project for the transformation of the National Employment Service to provide a variety of employment-related services like job matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, internships etc. All the services available in the portal  are free of cost for all stakeholders including jobseekers, employers, training providers and placement organizations. The Career contents for more than 3600 occupations is available on NCS Portal for counselling purpose.
Prime Minister's Office
PM lays foundation stone of Integrated Command and Control Centres in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today laid the foundation stone of Integrated Command and Control Centres at five North Eastern Smart Cities, through video conference from New Delhi.
The Prime Minister, digitally unveiled the plaque for the Command and Control Centres at Namchi and Gangtok in Sikkim, Itanagar and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh and Agartala in Tripura.
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Ministry of Defence
238th Corps of Engineers Day
“238TH Corps of Engineers Day” was celebrated on 18 Nov 2018. On this occasion, Lt Gen SK Shrivastava, Engineer-in-Chief and all senior serving and retired offrs laid wreaths and paid homage to the braves in a solemn ceremony at Amar Jawan Jyoti. A function was also organised at Kashmir House, New Delhi to honour the achievers of the Corps in the fields of technical competence, professional excellence, sports and adventures.
The Corps of Engineers provides combat engineering support, develops infrastructure for armed forces and other defence organisations, maintains lines of communication along India's borders and provides relief to populace during natural disasters. These tasks are executed through four pillars of the Corps – Combat Engineers, Military Engineering Service, Border Roads Organisation and Military Survey.
The raising day is celebrated to commemorate the raising of the first engineering company in 1780. The modern day Corps of Engineers has three groups: Madras Sappers, Bengal Sappers and Bombay Sappers which were amalgamated into the Corps on 18 Nov 1932.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles loss of lives due to fire in hospital in Maharashtra
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the loss of lives due to a fire in a hospital in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire in a hospital in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest."
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Technology for Water Purification
As reported by States/UTs, the number of habitations with contaminants in drinking water sources beyond permissible limit, is coming down. The Contaminants-wise number of quality-affected habitations since 01.04.2019 is annexed.
Government of India, in partnership with States/ UTs, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission – Har Ghar Jal to provide potable tap water supply to every rural household by 2024with an estimated outlay of 3.60 lakh Crore. Under JJM, financial assistance is provided to States/ UTs. “Water” being a state subject planning, approval and implementation of drinking water supply schemes, lies with state/UT governments.While planning water supply schemes to provide tapwater supply to households, priority is given to quality–affected habitations. States may decideappropriate water treatment technologies for treatment of water to provide potable water to households.
For Jal Jeevan Mission, this Department has not sought any assistance from external agencies. However, for technological solutions, a Technical Committee under the chairmanship of Principal Scientific Advisor  to Government of India has been set upto examine and recommend various innovations and water related technologies receivedfrom govt./ autonomous/ private entities, which can be used in providing potable tap water supply to every household.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Lok Sabha today
Annexure
Contaminants-wise number of quality-affected habitations

|
|
Contaminant
|
|
No. of quality-affected habitations as on
|
|
|
|
01.04.2019
|
|
01.04.2020
|
|
01.04.2021
|
|
01.04.2022
|
|
09.12.2022
|
|
Covered with CWPP
|
|
Arsenic
|
|
14,020
|
|
4,568
|
|
1,717
|
|
800
|
|
760
|
|
559
|
|
Fluoride
|
|
7,996
|
|
5,796
|
|
1,021
|
|
670
|
|
655
|
|
446
|
|
Iron
|
|
18,599
|
|
32,134
|
|
17,220
|
|
14,205
|
|
13,716
|
|
-
|
|
Salinity
|
|
13,319
|
|
10,455
|
|
10,038
|
|
9,942
|
|
9,938
|
|
-
|
|
Nitrate
|
|
1,443
|
|
907
|
|
521
|
|
517
|
|
515
|
|
-
|
|
Heavy Metal
|
|
2,162
|
|
306
|
|
187
|
|
108
|
|
107
|
|
-
|
|
Total
|
|
57,539
|
|
54,166
|
|
30,704
|
|
26,242
|
|
25,691
|
|
1005
|
|
Source: JJM-IMIS
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister’s participation in the Quad Leaders’ Summit
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participated in the third in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, Japan on 20 May 2023, along with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan and President Joseph Biden of the United States of America.
The Leaders had a productive dialogue about developments in the Indo-Pacific which affirmed their shared democratic values and strategic interests. Guided by their vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, they reiterated the importance of upholding the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes. In this context, they released the Quad Leaders’ Vision Statement – Enduring Partners for the Indo-Pacific” which articulates their principled approach.
To strengthen the resilience and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific the Leaders announced following initiatives which would complement the development priorities of the region:
A. Clean Energy Supply Chains Initiative which would facilitate research and development and support the Indo-Pacific’s energy transition. In addition, the Quad Principles of Clean Energy Supply Chains were approved to guide engagement with the region on clean energy supply chain development.
B. ‘Quad Infrastructure Fellowships Programme’ to support policy makers and practitioners in the region to design, build and manage sustainable and viable infrastructure in their countries.
C. ‘Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience’ to leverage Quad’s collective expertise in design, manufacturing, laying and maintenance of undersea cables to secure and diversify these critical networks.
D. Quad support for a small-scale ORAN deployment in Palau, the first in the Pacific region. They also released the ORAN Security Report to support industry investment in open, interoperable and secure telecom platforms.
E. Quad Investors’ Network has been launched as a private sector led platform to facilitate investments in strategic technologies.
F. The Leaders welcomed progress of the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, announced at their Summit last year in Tokyo. They noted that data sharing with partners in South East and the Pacific under this programme is underway and would soon include partners in the Indian Ocean Region.Prime Minister highlighted how India’s approach to demand-driven development cooperation with the region was contributing to these efforts.
The Leaders agreed on the need to preserve the integrity of the UN, its Charter and its agencies. They agreed on continuing their efforts to strengthen and reform the multilateral system, including through an expansion of the UNSC membership in both permanent and non-permanent categories.
Prime Minister emphasized the importance of consolidating Quad’s constructive agenda and delivering tangible outcomes for the region. The Leaders agreed to continue their regular dialogue and maintain the momentum of Quad engagement. In this context, Prime Minister invited Quad Leaders to India for the next Quad Summit in 2024.
Ministry of Earth Sciences
Partial Eclipse of the Moon on 19 November, 2021, Visible in India
A partial eclipse of the Moon will occur on 19 November, 2021 .From India, just after moonrise, ending of partial phase of the eclipse will be visible for a very short span of time from extreme north eastern parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
According to IMD sources, the Eclipse will be visible in the region covering western Africa, western Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Australia, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
The partial phase of the eclipse will begin at 12h 48m IST. The partial phase will end at 16h 17 m IST.
The next lunar eclipse will be visible from India on 8 November, 2022. It will be a total lunar eclipse.
Lunar eclipse occurs on a full moon day when the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon and when all the three objects are aligned. A total lunar eclipse will occur when the whole Moon comes under the umbral shadow of the Earth and the partial lunar eclipse occurs when only a part of the Moon comes under the umbral shadow of the Earth.
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SNC/RR
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President's Secretariat
OFFICERS/OFFICER TRAINEES OF INDIAN DEFENCE ESTATES SERVICE, INDIAN SKILL DEVELOPMENT SERVICE, INDIAN TRADE SERVICE AND INDIAN TELECOM SERVICE CALL ON THE PRESIDENT
Officers/Officer Trainees of Indian Defence Estates Service, Indian Skill Development Service, Indian Trade Service and Indian Telecom Service called on the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, at Rashtrapati Bhavan today .
Addressing the officers, the President said that after becoming part of the respective services, their primary aim should be to serve the nation and its people with utmost sincerity. In their journey as public servants, they will get opportunities to bring about changes. Such changes can transform the lives of people. She was confident that if young offices pursue the path of serving the people, they will earn a great deal of satisfaction from their job.
The President was happy to note that the Directorate General of Defence Estates has adopted technologies like satellite imagery, geo-spatial techniques and Artificial Intelligence for management of defence estates. She urged Indian Defence Estates Service Officers to utilize technology to the maximum possible extent for effective administration of the cantonments.
The President said that technology has even more central role to play in the career of Indian Telecom Service officers. India has undergone a telecom revolution during the last two decades. Launch of mobile telephony and faster internet networks in India have enabled the country to tap its vast digital potential. It is important for us to have the best quality telecom and internet services in order to achieve the status of a developed country. As we shift towards 5G Mobile telephony, the leaps in the technological advancements and its implementation are going to be swift. It is responsibility of Indian Telecom Service officers to keep abreast with these developments.
Addressing the officers of Indian Skill Development Service, the President said that in order to benefit from our demographic dividend, our huge human resources need to be adequately skilled. Skilling our people is critical as it would make our working-age population productive and help in the development of our country. She expressed confidence that officers of Indian Skill Development Service will be instrumental in encouraging the skill-ecosystem with their fresh approach and thinking.
Addressing the probationers of Indian Trade Service, the President said that the Indian growth story today is very promising. As we aim to become a five trillion-dollar economy, we look forward to young officers like them playing a significant role. She said that the disruption to global supply chains due to Covid-19 and other geo-political events have opened up new investment opportunities in various sectors.
Please click here to see the President's Speech -